Self-oscillating dimmable electronic ballast

This paper presents a simple alternative for an electronic ballast operating in self-sustained oscillating mode with dimming capability for fluorescent lamps. A simple modification in one of the gate drivers side circuit allows the lamp to dim without compromising the simplicity, reliability, and low cost which characterize the self-oscillating electronic ballast (SOEB). A qualitative analysis is presented to explain the behavior of the proposed self-oscillating electronic ballast with dimming feature. In addition, the stability and the key equations for the design are derived using the extended Nyquist criterion and describing function method. Experimental results from two 40-W electronic ballasts are presented to demonstrate the performance and to validate the analysis carried out.     

Transient response of ARROW VCSELs under external optical feedback

The effect of external optical feedback on the transient response of antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW) vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) is studied. It can be shown that the proper design of ARROW can suppress the excitation of high-order transverse leaky mode as well as increase the critical feedback strength so that stable high-power single-mode operation of VCSELs can be obtained even under the influence of strong external optical feedback.     

Alternating-direction implicit (ADI) formulation of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method: algorithm and material dispersion implementation

The alternating-direction implicit finite-difference time-domain (ADI-FDTD) technique is an unconditionally stable time-domain numerical scheme, allowing the /spl Delta/t time step to be increased beyond the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy limit. Execution time of a simulation is inversely proportional to /spl Delta/t, and as such, increasing /spl Delta/t results in a decrease of execution time. The ADI-FDTD technique greatly increases the utility of the FDTD technique for electromagnetic compatibility problems. Once the basics of the ADI-FDTD technique are presented and the differences of the relative accuracy of ADI-FDTD and standard FDTD are discussed, the problems that benefit greatly from ADI-FDTD are described. A discussion is given on the true time savings of applying the ADI-FDTD technique. The feasibility of using higher order spatial and temporal techniques with ADI-FDTD is presented. The incorporation of frequency dependent material properties (material dispersion) into ADI-FDTD is also presented. The material dispersion scheme is implemented into a one-dimensional and three-dimensional problem space. The scheme is shown to be both accurate and unconditionally stable.     

Estimation and Optimization of the Principal H-Maser Parameters

The scale along the coordinate axes in the equations of motion hitherto used for an H-maser (in relative units) is shown to depend on Q as the quality factor for an H-maser. This hinders both analysis of the operation of the H-maser and optimization of its parameters. The modified equations of motion proposed here do not have that shortcoming. We determine the atomic flux into the bulb that gives the H-maser the best metrological characteristics.     

Intergranular corrosion of a light aircraft aluminum alloy propeller

Examination of the wreckage of a light aircraft revealed that approximately 20 cm was missing from one tip of the aluminum alloy propeller. Fractographic and metallographic examination of the remaining portion of the propeller revealed extensive grain-boundary separation in the vicinity of the fracture, and grain edges and corners rounded by corrosion on the fracture surface. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) revealed fluorine on, and in the vicinity of, the fracture surface. In the ensuing litigation, it was asserted that the crash occurred because the propeller fractured in flight as the result of intergranular attack caused by the use of a fluorine-bearing cleaner.     

Three takes on telecom's troubles

Spectrum asked three IEEE members from the telecommunications sector to comment on the industry's current woes and prospects. Roch Guerin discusses bandwidth as a commodity and how to deal with it. The impact of technological change on telecommunications is enormous and calls for a shift in business models. Technology is making bandwidth a commodity and it should not matter who supplies it. Competition is vital and commodity providers must be decoupled from value providers. Frank Ferrante points out that the Year 2000 crisis resulted in manufacturers being deluged with orders for new upgraded systems. Vast sums were spent to meet the demand in time. However, when Y2K was over, production stayed high and inventories continued to build, while demand effectively stopped overnight. Dazzling new innovations are needed to compel the masses to spend and manufacturers must apply their resources to deliver quickly and efficiently. Jules A. Bellisio discusses the role of engineers in bringing new ideas to the market place. Many engineers have put together ventures for the sole purpose of attracting capital. The underlying technology and business propositions were there solely to lure the unsuspecting. By allowing engineers to use technology simply to cover for a scam, then the profession is also to blame for the current problems.     

Analytical multipoint moment matching reduction of distributed thermal networks

In this paper, the multipoint moment matching method for model order reduction of discretized linear thermal networks is extended to distributed linear thermal networks. As a result, from the analytical canonical forms of distributed linear thermal networks, reduced thermal networks are derived analytically. This direct construction of the reduced network, from the exact analytical solutions, avoids the inevitable inaccuracies inherent in conventional surface and volume meshing. It allows nearly exact reduced thermal network construction by domain decomposition for arbitrarily complicated structures.     

Failure analysis of a broken tooth

Several days after heart surgery, a patient discovered his upper right canine tooth had broken at the root. Such tooth damage, recognized post-operatively, is usually assumed to be caused by blunt mechanical force from an instrument used by the anesthesiologist during placement of a breathing tube at the start of surgery. In this case, the patient had saved the crown portion of the broken tooth, and it was possible to examine the root fracture characteristics. The curvature and direction of the crack path and natural tooth situation suggested that failure could be described through a cantilever beam model. This was confirmed when a whole extracted sample tooth was embedded and broken by a measured force in a manner consistent with the model. The resulting fracture surface matched that of the patient’s broken canine tooth. However, the high load and force direction necessary to fracture the root was inconsistent with forces applied during the anesthesia procedure. The failure analysis and further investigation indicated tooth clenching on the breathing tube during recovery was the likely cause of fracture. This paper presents an alternate explanation for intubation-related dental injury, demonstrates the practicality of fractographic analysis of biological materials, and introduces a methodology for simulating in vitro tooth settings for mechanical testing.     

Heat Transfer by Radiation through a Vapor Gap under Conditions of Film Boiling of Liquid

Theoretical models of heat transfer by radiation through a vapor gap under conditions of film boiling of liquid are treated, namely, a general wave model for a gap of arbitrary thickness and an approximate model of geometrical optics. Calculations are performed of heat transfer by radiation under conditions of film boiling of water on hot surfaces of refractory metal and molten oxide. Practical recommendations are given to calculate the distribution of the power of absorbed radiation in a water layer.